Introduction

Vision

Sustainable, self-reliant, empowered and transformative rural communities with prosperity and peace for all.

Mission

Transforming villages into vibrant, productive and self-sufficient communities, by empowering villagers with knowledge, skill and entrepreneurial talent, employing appropriate tools and systems, through participatory engagement and true realization of their inherent potential.

Objectives

Enabling villages to be organized communities of mutual aid and cooperation.
Equipping them with modern appropriate knowledge, techniques and skills.
Engaging them to converge with national resources in equitable terms
Empowering them to become a socially and environmentally cohesive community.
Endowing them with modern hard and soft infrastructure.

Thematic Areas

Sustainable Agriculture value chain
Entrepreneurship
Watershed and water conservation
Sanitation
Health
Value education

Methodology

Organizational: Our approach will be institution building (including Village Youth / Women Leadership Groups; Farmer Producer Organizations JLG / SHG Clusters), so that farmers and entrepreneurs could achieve the threshold of development.
Networking: Specialized partner organizations (knowledge, technical and resource partners) are being engaged to provide access to ‘best practice’ knowledge and experience to priority areas, and leverage program resources (people and/or funding). Convergence with key government initiatives will be sought to optimize resource allocations for infra-structural and watershed investments, operations and maintenance, and to sustain long-term effectiveness.
Participatory: Essentially a people’s endeavour, ensuring pro-active participation of all stakeholders, especially the villagers, in conceptualizing, designing and implementing the development design / schemes.
Optimized: Using appropriate tools and technology to optimize socio–economic activities.
Professional: Structured approach: interventions, be it decision-making, program designing, or funding arrangement, are subject to careful technical appraisal, results’ measurements and risk assessments. Overtime the experience and knowledge-base of BaBapu will expand across portfolios that are analyzed along both village- and thematic dimensions.
Village Level Volunteer (Gram Sevak): will be the key person who will help transform the villages. Our village worker or Gram Sevak has to make a significant commitment to be a resident and part of the village. An effort will have to be made to help the Gram Sevak develop a viable economic activity for self and the family.
Phasic: The 150 villages are being selected across 14 states in clusters of 5-15 villages each, with approximately one third of villages located in Maharashtra.
Transformation intervention will be initiated in phases:
Phase - I : Initiation and Design Stage, including village selection, partner mobilization and initial community engagements
Phase - II : Pilot Implementation Stage, focusing on the first group of 30 villages across 3 clusters in the Jalgaon District of MS
Phase - III : Scaling Stage, taking the lessons, models and partnerships to all 150 villages

Monitoring and Evaluation
a. Implementation Risks
During program design, a detailed analysis will be performed regarding the implementation risks and challenges, specifically with regard to operational, stakeholder, strategic, financial, and/or environmental & social risk areas. For each risk area, the analysis will assess the following factors:
i. Likelihood (High, Medium, Low)
ii. Description and Potential Effect
iii. Mitigation Factors & Measures

b. Results’ Measurement
The program will adopt a rigorous results measurement framework, based on the Theory of Change and leveraging best practice experience from specialized development agencies. Indicatively, the following framework will be applied:
i. Output Indicators (including targets)
ii. Outcome Indicators (including baseline/ targets/ achieved by date)
iii. Impact Indicators (including baseline/ targets/ achieved by date)

Governance

A Supervisory Committee is expected to be formed with partnering organizations to provide overall program governance of BaBapu150. Governance is supported by the eminent Board of Directors of The GRF that brings profound perspectives, understanding and leadership. The JISL is building further program leadership with its vast expertise in modern agriculture techniques and machinery, its national and global networks, and its strong commitment to sustainable rural development.

Exit Plan

As the villages reach the threshold of development, and are equipped to handle their endeavours, the BaBapu150 team will gradually disengage itself from the particular intervention. Thereafter the BBI presence will be marginal, just enough to give moral support, and exercise a consultation and advisory function.

Budget Uses and Sources:

The program budget will be prepared along specific priority themes in collaboration with the respective partner organizations. Funding of specific activities will be provided by a range of potential sources, such as:

Corporate CSR (including partner organizations)
Philanthropic foundations (both national and international)
Government programs
JISL